


A Time to Every Purpose under Heaven

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Thicker than Water [72]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, F/M, Family, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-14
Updated: 2012-09-14
Packaged: 2017-11-14 06:06:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/512128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason could solve a lot of problems…this was out of his league.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Time to Every Purpose under Heaven

**Author's Note:**

> There is a death in this story and it deals with a child's reaction to it. This story was written in the Thicker than Water universe where the BAU are kids and teens. This is the 100th story in this universe which I've been writing in since March 2010. I can't believe I've come so far and that these characters have grown like they have. I’m so proud to have accomplished what I have with them. The title is from the Pete Seeger song, Turn, Turn, Turn, which is taken verbatim from the Book of Ecclesiastes.

“Jason! Jason, wake up! Wake up please.”

She was shaking him and Jason quickly opened his eyes. The room was dark; he was still blind. But he immediately recognized Penelope’s frantic voice. He sat straight up in bed, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

“What's happening? What's the matter Penelope?”

“Something’s wrong with Tito. Alexander was scratching on the plastic. Something’s wrong; you gotta come and look.”

“OK.” Still slightly disoriented, Jason did his best to get his bearings before getting out of bed. The alarm clock said 4:32am. Mornings that started this early rarely ended well.

Penelope was already running down the hall so Jason followed her. In the back bedroom, JJ was sound asleep Penelope’s red lava lamp cast an eerie glow over the room. In the plastic play land, Alexander rested close to Tito. The little rat had definitely seen better days. It only took one look for Jason to know it was the worse. 

He got closer and really inspected. Then he opened the top and touched the rat. He muttered an expletive and then turned to look at Penelope. She looked at him with such hopeful brown eyes. He wished he could say anything but what he had to.

“I'm so sorry, Penelope.”

“Why? What's wrong with him Jason?”

“Tito passed away kiddo.”

“No!” she shouted, waking up JJ. “No Jason, no!”

“I'm really sorry.”

She burst into tears as JJ sat up in bed.

“What's the matter?” she asked.

“Tito’s dead!” Penelope screeched and sobbed. “Tito’s dead, JJ!”

“Aww damn, PG. I'm so sorry.”

Penelope just sobbed, covering her face as she sat on the bed. JJ got up and went over to comfort her. Jason turned on the light, going over to the closet where he knew Penelope kept shoeboxes for her “stuff”. He grabbed an empty one and then pulled Tito from the play land.

“No Jason!” she cried.

“We can't leave him in there. We have to lay him to rest properly.”

There was so much Penelope wanted to say but all she could do was cry. It sounded so horrible to Jason. He was afraid she’d throw up or pass out. Surely over the years he’d seen Penelope cry for one reason or another. She was a kid and that was normal. He’d never seen something like this. Jason could solve a lot of problems…this was out of his league.

“You better wake Emily.” JJ said, sensing that Jason was at an utter loss. She’d never seen him that way but there was a first time for everything.

“OK.” He went to take the box but Penelope screamed. She jumped up and snatched it from him. “Penelope…”

“No, not yet; no.” she shook her head.

What the hell else was he supposed to say? He left the room, walked past the dark bathroom, and went into Emily’s room. He didn’t know how she slept through the noise but she had. Gingerly, Jason sat on the side of her bed and put his hand on her shoulder.

“Emily? Em, wake up love.”

“Jason?” she opened her eyes. “What's…?”

“Tito died.”

“Huh?”

“Tito died…Penelope’s rat.”

“Shit.” Emily mumbled and sat up. “How's Penelope?”

“She’s inconsolable. She’s a mess.” His breath caught in his throat. The truth was that it hurt. It physically hurt to see her in that kind of pain. He couldn’t do anything to help, and that just hurt more.

“OK, I'm getting up.” Emily threw the sheets off and got out of bed. She and Jason went into the back bedroom together. As soon as Penelope saw her, fresh tears came.

“Tito’s dead, Emily!”

“I know sweetie.” She sat on the bed and took Penelope into her arms. 

JJ was still hugging her so all three girls were hugging. Emily could tell from the look on JJ’s face that she was mad about crying. It couldn’t be helped…Penelope’s emotions always caught her siblings. The only time Emily ever saw Derek cry was on his mother’s birthday and when Penelope cried.

“I didn’t know he was sick. I wish he would’ve told me.”

“Yeah.” Emily stroked her hair. “He's in a better place now though, and he will never be sick again. He’ll just be happy and play all day.”

“How can he be happy without Alexander?” Penelope asked. “They're best friends.”

“But there are other rats there for him to play with. There will always be a hole in his heart for Alexander but I promise you that he's not sad.”

“Promise?”

“I super duper promise.” Emily kissed her forehead.

“Are you sure that Tito is in heaven, Emily?”

“Of course he is…he was the best rat ever. Heaven is full of wheels, his favorite pebbles, and all the stuff he loved so much. It’s an amazing place.”

“I miss him though. He was my friend.”

“I know. It’s going to hurt for a while and it’s totally OK to cry. We’re all here for you, Penelope. When you feel better we’ll go to the pet store and get a new rat. But only if that's what you want.”

“Tito can never be replaced.” She sat up and wiped her eyes. “But I don't want Alexander to be lonely.”

“Alright.” Emily hugged her. “I know it’s hard but you need to try and sleep. Jason has to take Tito so he can get him ready for his funeral. I know its tough but you have to let go. We’ll give him a glorious send off…it'll be talked about across rat generations.”

“Yeah.” Penelope managed a little smile through her tears. “Can Kevin come? And Coop?”

“We’ll invite anyone you want. Let Jason take the box.”

Nodding, Penelope handed over the shoebox.

“Be gentle with him, Gideon.”

“Cross my heart.” He bent to kiss her cheek and left the bedroom.

“Into bed you guys.” Emily said.

“You wanna sleep in my bed, PG?” JJ asked.

Penelope nodded. They went over to JJ’s bed holding hands and got under the sheet. Emily kissed them both.

“Try your best to get some sleep. I love you guys.”

“Love you Emily.” JJ said.

“Love you.” Penelope sniffed.

Emily gave her an extra kiss before she lay down next to JJ. The older girl wrapped her arms around her and there were more tears. Emily got up, turned out the overhead light, and left the room. She went to the master bedroom. Jason sat on the end of the bed with his head in his hands. Sitting next to him was the shoebox with the now-deceased Tito.

“That was hard.” He looked at her with tears in his eyes. “That was extremely hard.”

“I know.” Emily nodded. She gently moved Tito and sat down next to him. “It’s going to be tough for a while.”

“What do we do with Tito?”

“We’ll bury him in the backyard. I'm sure Penelope will want a proper funeral. For now we’ll just put him on top of the chest of drawers. I'm sure it’ll happen today or tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Jason nodded. He took a deep breath. “Sometimes I'm not sure I'm completely cut out for raising a family. I could’ve handled that better.”

“First of all it would've been tough for a man in his 50s to handle a crying child and the death of a beloved pet. Secondly, you're not alone. You have me and we do these things together. Third, you handled it just fine. Please don’t sell yourself short. I don’t like when you do that because I know how awesome you are.”

Jason nodded but said nothing. Emily kissed him and then took Tito and put him on top of the chest of drawers.

“We both need to get back to sleep. That was a hell of a wake up call.”

“Will you stay?” Jason asked.

“Come to my room.” she held out her hand for him. “I want to be close in case Penelope needs me.”

He stood, pulling Emily close. For some reason Jason felt off kilter. It could be because Penelope was so heartbroken. Maybe it was because even though Tito was a pet rat it was the first death Jason dealt with in some time. It was never going to be easy. The raw pain in his belly felt so fresh as if Erin had just come into his room and said his parents were gone. Like that night so many years ago, Jason went to bed thinking all was right with his world and quickly learned it was anything but.

“He was a rat, Katya.” Jason held her tighter. “Why do I feel like I'm free falling?”

“I wish I could answer that. Just hold onto me…I'm with you the whole way. Cross my heart.”

***

“Baby girl, I think you should eat something.”

Derek came up to Penelope’s room later in the afternoon with a grilled cheese sandwich. She’d declined breakfast earlier even though she usually loved pancake Saturday. She’d stayed in her room all day. Jason even relaxed the ‘no opposite sex upstairs’ rule for her when Kevin arrived a little after noon. He was still there now.

“I'm not hungry, Morgan.”

“I know you're hurting but you have to eat. It’s the middle of the summer…I don’t want you to pass out. Split it with Kevin; I just want you to eat half. I even brought you a glass of my special tea.”

When Morgan smiled it almost made Penelope do the same.

“OK, I’ll try.” She said.

“That’s all I ask.” He put the tray down on the bed. Then he looked at the plastic play land. “How's Alexander the Great?”

“He's putting on a brave face. Emily said we can go and get a new rat when I'm ready.”

“I hope that you are soon.”

“Me too, but I have to finish planning Tito’s funeral. We’re going to do it this evening. I don’t want him not to rest in peace.”

“I'm sure its going to be lovely.” Morgan replied.

“It will be.”

Penelope picked up the sandwich and took a bite. Once Morgan saw her eat he left the room. He wanted to stay and take care of her but Kevin was there. That was a bit awkward; he didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

“How is she?” JJ asked when she saw Morgan in the hallway. “I've been trying to give her and Lynch some alone time but I gotta go grab some stuff so I can go hang out at Will’s.”

“She's still pretty sad. That’s not going to go away overnight. But she’s busying herself planning an epic funeral.”

“A rat funeral?” JJ raised her eyebrow.

“Yes, and we’re all gonna be there as a family. If it’s what Penelope wants then we’ll do it.”

“Yeah totally. I’ll do it no matter how weird it is. It sucks to see her so upset.”

“Agreed.” Morgan nodded. “I wish there was something I could do to make it better.”

JJ felt the same way. She sighed, heading back to the bedroom as Morgan went down the stairs.

***

“I'm so glad you're here.” Penelope hugged Anderson when he walked into the backyard.

“You know I always got your back, kiddo. I even wore a tie.”

Anderson was dressed in black slacks, a blue button down shirt, and a black tie. He went to stand over by the tree with other family members. Everyone was there except for Hotch; he had to work that evening. Megan was there in his stead. Penelope had always been so kind to her so she wanted to be supportive. 

So were Anderson, Jason, Emily, Coop, Derek, JJ, Will, Kevin, Spencer, and Ashley. Penelope walked into the circle they formed holding the shoebox. She wrapped it in black satin. Inside was Tito. He was on a bed of white satin with a flower, some pebbles for his long journey, and a picture of Penelope with Alexander so he would never get lonely.

“Thank you so much for coming everybody. Tito was a good rat and I didn’t know he was sick or I would've taken care of him. He’s in heaven now but he left me and Alexander behind. We’re really sad. Emily says he's in a better place now and I believe her. Goodbye Tito, you will be forever missed.”

She got down on her knees in her black dress and put the satin covered box in the three foot hole that Morgan dug. Jason stepped up, taking the shovel.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Goodbye, Tito.”

Morgan put his arms around Penelope but she held up well. She took Kevin’s hand. A couple of people threw flowers on Tito’s grave.

“I’ll fill the hole.” Spencer said. “I just want to help.”

“Thanks Spencer.” Jason smiled and gave him the shovel.

“I’ll supervise so Spencer doesn’t kill himself.” JJ said.

Everyone else went up to the deck. Jason made chicken salad finger sandwiches, chopped raw veggies, and iced tea. There was scattered conversation; people offered Penelope their condolences. She appreciated the kindness. 

Kevin put David Bowie in the CD player and played _Heroes_. Penelope didn’t want it just to be solemn. Tito loved life and she wanted his funeral to reflect that. It was OK to cry for him but also to smile at all the joy that he brought into their lives. 

So they played music, sang songs, and ate lunch. After it was over Penelope felt a little better. She and Kevin sat out on the back porch for a long time. They just held hands and stayed quiet.

“Is she OK?” Emily came into the kitchen and saw Morgan watching them.

“I don't know. Kevin’s mom is coming to get him in like a half hour. She's not crying so that’s good, right?” he looked at his big sister.

“That is good.” Emily nodded. “She's going to be alright. It'll take time but there are people who love her and will help her get through this.”

“I know I will. It breaks my heart when she's sad.”

“Me too Derek.”

“I gotta go and tell Kevin that his mom is on her way.”

“Alright.” Emily went to the fridge for something to drink.

***

“I just checked on Penelope and JJ.” Jason walked into Emily’s room that night. It was raining and Emily was listening to her favorite love song show on the radio. “They're both sound asleep.”

“I know. I looked in about 20 minutes ago to say goodnight.”

“How was she?” Jason came and sat on the end of the bed.

“She's in limbo. She said that we can go and get a new rat before the end of the week. I don’t think she wants a new one so much as it’s important to Penelope that Alexander not be lonely.”

“I'm sure. Hell, she came all the way here from California and found us. She's not going to let her pet rat miss his best friend.”

Emily nodded. Today had been a very interesting day. Lots of her days in a family of eight distinct personalities, nine if you counted Megan, were interesting. Today had most of those beat. Growing up Emily never had pets so she’d never lost one. 

Somehow she managed to calm down Penelope, which amazed her. Then she made sure that Tito had the finest send off a rat could ever ask for. She was so glad that Coop and Anderson could be there. It meant the world to Penelope. 

And of course there was the awkward part of sitting down with Ashley and Spencer to talk about death. Ashley knew more about it than her new older brother. Emily wasn’t sure that she would be able to converse in a way that wouldn’t leave more questions than answers. In the end she thought the kids might have taken pity on her.

“Today was tough.” Jason said with a sigh.

“I concur.”

Emily moved down to the bottom of the bed. She wrapped her entire self around Jason and immediately felt his body relax on hers. He needed it; she could tell. He needed it all day but Emily kept some distance. She knew Jason needed to be strong and lead. The second she wrapped her arms around him he was going to surrender and know it was alright to fall. He couldn’t fall then…he could now.

“I know this is a presumptive question and one I don’t even need to be asking right now.” Jason said.

“You can ask me anything at anytime.” Emily kissed the nape of his neck.

“I'm gonna be a good dad, right? I mean you don’t have to answer that if…”

“You're going to be an amazing dad. You're an amazing big brother. Its OK to have doubts, we all do. But you will be; I'm sure of it.”

“OK. I think I'm going to call it an early night.”

“I think that’s a good idea. Wanna bunk in here tonight?”

“You don’t mind?” Jason asked.

“Mind? I love the idea.”

“Me too.” he held her hands tight. “I can't wait until we can sleep together every night. The day will come when I never let you go.”

“Jason Gideon, you haven’t let me go since July 4, 1996.”

“I've been a happier guy for it.”

“And I'm the happiest girl in the whole wide world.”

“Sometimes I just don’t know what I would do without you. I mean, I love you so much but this family…you are so good for this family.”

It meant a lot for Jason to say that. He thought he implied it all the time but he knew that sometimes you just had to say what you were feeling. No one was promised tomorrow; not rats and not even parents. He never wanted to think about losing Emily, though the thought had crossed his mind. If it ever happened he wanted to make sure that she knew every single day how much she meant to him and to all of them.

“Are you trying to get laid tonight?” she whispered in his ear.

Then Jason burst into laughter. It was one of those amazing beautiful sounds, like church bells on a quiet morning or rain on a skylight. It filled Emily’s belly with butterflies and made her love him even more. 

“I love you Katya.”

“I love you too. Let’s go to bed. Tomorrow will be better.”

Jason nodded. He got up and started to undress, Emily was already in pajamas. Once in his boxers, he slipped between her sheets and Emily turned out the lights. She kept the music on but turned it down so they could just hear the songs. This show would be on for another four hours or so. There was nothing like love songs and holding him. It was the perfect way to end a sad day. It was the perfect way to end everyday.

***


End file.
